A moist and tender vanilla yogurt cake, perfect for any occasion. The yogurt adds a lovely tang and keeps the cake incredibly soft, while the jam swirl brings a burst of fruity flavor.
Ingredients:
- For the Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup plain yogurt (full-fat or low-fat)
- For the Jam Swirl:
- 1/2 cup your favorite jam (raspberry, strawberry, or apricot work well)
Instructions:
- Preheat and Prepare:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Grease and flour a 9-inch round or square cake pan. You can also line it with parchment paper for easier removal.
- Combine Dry Ingredients:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Cream Butter and Sugar:
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla:
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla extract.
- Alternate Dry and Wet Ingredients:
- In a separate bowl, measure your yogurt.
- Begin adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the yogurt. Start and end with the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients in thirds, and the yogurt in halves.
- Mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Assemble the Cake:
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan.
- Warm your jam slightly, this makes it easier to swirl. Drop spoonfuls of the jam over the batter.
- Use a knife or skewer to swirl the jam through the batter, creating a marbled effect.
- Bake:
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool and Serve:
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cooled, you can slice and serve.
Tips and Variations:
- For extra flavor, you can add lemon zest to the batter.
- You can top the cooled cake with a dusting of powdered sugar.
- If you don’t have yogurt, sour cream can be used as a substitute.
- For a richer cake, brown the butter before creaming it with the sugar.
- Use different types of jam to experiment with flavors.
- For a taller cake, this recipe can be baked in two smaller cake pans. Just reduce the baking time.